Viable MOQ calculation.

Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) in manufacturing isn't just the factory's minimum - it's the quantity it helps to sell to hit target margin after amortizing tooling costs. Factory might accept 500 units minimum but it helps to sell 3,000 to make margins work given tooling. This tool calculates the break-even MOQ from your numbers.

20 retail, 8 per-unit manufacturing, 30% target margin (6), 10,000 tooling. Contribution per unit = 20 - 8 - 6 = 6. MOQ to cover tooling = 10,000 / 6 = 1,667 units minimum sellable. If you can only sell 1,000 the first year, tooling eats half your margin and product isn't viable at 30% target.

MOQ strategies: share tooling across product variants (same mould, different colours), negotiate lower tooling by giving factory higher margin long-term, crowdfund to pre-sell and prove demand before paying tooling, partner with established brand to use their tooling. Each path reduces effective MOQ for first-time physical products.

Quick example

With target margin of 30% and per-unit mfg cost of 8 (plus retail price of 20 and tooling cost of 10,000), the result is 1667 units. Change any figure and watch the output shift — it's often more useful to see the pattern than to memorise the formula.

Which inputs matter most

You enter Target Margin %, Per-Unit Mfg Cost, Retail Price, Tooling Cost, and Max Sellable Units. Not every input has equal weight. Flip one at a time toward extreme values to feel which ones move the needle most for your situation.

What's happening under the hood

Contribution per unit = retail - mfg cost - target margin (absolute). MOQ = tooling ÷ contribution. Compared to max sellable for viability. The formula is listed in full below. If the number looks off, you can retrace the calculation by hand — that's the point of showing the working.

What the score tells you

Headline financial numbers — income, savings, debt — each tell part of the story. This calculation stitches several together into a single read you can track over time. The value is in the direction, not the absolute number.

What this doesn't capture

The score is a composite of the inputs you provide. Life context — job security, family obligations, health, housing — doesn't appear in the math but shapes the real picture. Use the number as a prompt, not a verdict.